No effect in India of Us exit from WHO, says health minister J P Nadda

India is also a major contributor to the global body and when it comes to health India is not dependent on anyone, minister said during briefing on National Health Mission

Allaying fears that several health programmes  in India would suffer because of the decision of the newly instituted President Donald Trump administration in the United states to withdraw from the World Health Organisation, health minister J P Nadda has said that there will be no effect.

Nadda was speaking during a media briefing on the National Health Mission. He said: “Our projects and programmes will continue. As far as health is concerned, we are not dependent on anybody. There are many programmes in which WHO partners with us and there will be no disruption. India is one of the major contributors to WHO.”

Acting on intent he had first expressed at the fag end of his first term as the President of the United States of America, on the grounds that the WHO had failed the world in its handling of the global COVID19 pandemic, Trump has signed the executive order which ratifies the exit of the USA from the WHO. There has been consternation and concern globally with apprehensions that programmes, including in India may be affected.

In his interaction marking ten years of the NHM – India’s flagship health programme, Nadda listed out programmes such as the National Sickle cell Anemia Elimination Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana as emblems of the unique thought and perspective that the NDA government has brought into the healthcare space and also implemented successfully to make the lives of Indians better.

In a post on X he wrote: “Briefed the media on the significant achievements made under the National Health Mission in the last 10 years.From the National Sickle Cell Anemia Mission to the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) and the National TB Elimination Programme, these initiatives have been pivotal in advancing the ‘Swasth Bharat’, with the mantra of #HealthForAll.This transformation has been possible due to the visionary leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji and the collaborative efforts of our healthcare workers.”